We had one new PA right out of school who was hired to work in the OR on her first day walk up to the rep in the room and say, “Where’s lunch?” Completely flat delivery.
I wasn’t there, but I heard from two separate people who were in the room that she was definitely not joking. I can’t speak for drug reps, but equipment reps in the OR play an important role and in a lot of cases they are flat-out members of the surgical team. The case doesn’t go without them. They are not there to buy lunch.
Reps work really hard (for the most part), and they know their stuff. Most of them are happy to teach, heck that’s half their job. Whether you’re a student or even better a brand-new PA, the reps will want to help you. You should look to take full advantage of them.
They also have great handouts and computer software they can typically share. Something shown in a picture, or a video on their website may be enough to get an idea to click into place for you. It’s worth being nice to find out.
One more resource to take advantage of, the Physician Assistant Exam Review Podcast.
Click here to get it sent straight into your phone:
www.physicianassistantexamreview.com/podcast
Brian Wallace
